As the world grows more inclusive, tennis is no exception, and organizations across the country are providing spaces for all players to enjoy the sport. ACEing Autism spans the country, giving children with autism the opportunity to grow, develop, and benefit from social connections and fitness through affordable tennis programming. Their reach is especially prevalent in Southern California, and one particular branch at the Claremont Colleges is rapidly growing the number of children to whom they cater.

The program was brought to the Claremont Colleges by Rohun Krishnan, an enterprising student currently studying at Pomona College. The Orange County native was a volunteer for ACEing Autism while he was a junior tennis player in Newport Beach, and as he entered college, he decided to carry over the program. “When I came over to college, I saw that there was a need over here,” explained Krishnan. “No one really had any programs for autistic children in Claremont.”

Krishnan recalled that there were certainly challenges when setting up the program, including finding and training volunteers as well as finding interest from children and parents. However, with the support of the athletic department at Pomona, the program found its feet, and many enthusiastic students volunteered to work with kids in the community. The program currently runs on Sundays at 4, and the volunteers create and run tennis programming for the children.

“Our volunteers will go greet them, throw tennis balls around, and talk with one another. The whole point of our program is to have fun,” said Krishnan. “Tennis is the secondary benefit. Really, it’s to get these kids interacting with one another and interacting with our volunteers. We bring them on court. We’ll do some warmups and then we’ll get into some drilling, hitting, and some games so that they’re talking with one another and playing games and having some fun outdoors.”

ACEing Autism at the Claremont Colleges has an abundance of interest from students who volunteer, and right now, their goal is to create more awareness about the program for children and parents who could benefit. “What we really need is to spark awareness about this program,” explained Krishnan, “We want as many parents as possible to come, even just to try our program out and see what it does for your kids! It’s a bunch of fun, and I know parents are always looking for activities for their children to do on weekends.”

The gains that children with autism can make through programs like ACEing Autism are immeasurable, and the passion that the students at the Claremont Colleges have to contribute only adds to the merit of the program. “I think that a university has an obligation to do community outreach,” said Krishnan. “It’s a pool of really talented individuals who come to university to learn and to be better.”

If you or your child are interested in participating in the ACEing Autism program at the Claremont Colleges, visit their website.